The retirement of Aaron Donald has created a major void for the Rams, both as to ability and leadership. Second-year defensive tackle Kobie Turner could help tremendously, on both fronts.
Beyond the fact that Turner finished third for defensive rookie of the year (he was first on my ballot), Turner is emerging as a leader. This weekend, he asked for all phone numbers of all new Rams players.
“I think he’s got such a great way about himself that he’s just one of those guys that you want him to be himself and he’s just so naturally inclined to want to be a positive influence and to welcome guys with open arms,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on Saturday. “And I think that’s a reflection of how he felt when he came in from the Aaron Donalds and from some of the other veterans. But what a special human. He’s one of the guys that by just being himself is going to be a big-time player, a big-time influence. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he’s voted a captain by his teammates because he’s got such a refreshing security in himself and who he is, and he trusts the work. He’s like a lot of our guys in terms of a really special human being, but when I did hear that, even how quickly he reached out to Jared Verse, that didn’t surprise me but you don’t take for granted how lucky you are to work with people like him.”
The broader goal is to harness authenticity into positivity for the team.
“We want to be able to have an atmosphere and an environment where people can authentically be themselves, but also try to guide them in terms of the values and the principles that we feel like are in alignment,” McVay said. “And how you reflect humility, how you reflect an energy and accountability, how you build relationships, how you reflect a mental toughness, there are some consistent things, but it’s unique to each person’s personality. And I’ve heard [Marquette men’s basketball coach] Shaka Smart talk about culture, how we act, interact, and respond in all that we do. And I want guys to do that authentically with themselves, but also you want to make sure that you’re praising the types of things that we feel like are in alignment with that atmosphere. And Kobie does so many of those things naturally.
“You look at the difference between he and Aaron, two great leaders in their own right, but very different personalities. And I think the best way that you can model authentic leadership is by modeling the way. The words are one thing, but how do you move every single day? What does it look like? I always say I see better than I hear and he epitomizes that. There are a lot of guys that I could really talk about, but I want them to be themselves. But I think the beauty is in the differences in their personalities and however it’s reflected where you can try to help be able to guide them, but also allow them to be able to flourish into who they are as they’re continuing to become the men that they are right now.”
That’s real, and it’s incredibly helpful. Players who recognize they share a broader goal, one from which they all benefit as they work to achieve it. Relationships. Respect. Cooperation. Selflessness.
And it can spread to others. It’s intangible but incredibly tangible. It is culture. The better a team’s culture, the better off a team will be.